Blessings of the Moon
by lokinorsedeity
Summary: Selena Potter is an unusual girl...in more ways that one. She is the granddaughter of Chesa, the flower maiden that once tried to help the last true wolves find Paradise. Can she wake up the Pack from their slumber, or will Paradise be lost forever?
1. Chapter 1

Kiba slept deeply, after the daughter of the Lunar Maiden Chesa had died. He could not find the pup that Lily had brought to him for protection.

Four years ago, during the night of a half moon, he had found Chesa's daughter. Lily Potter wasn't surprised to hear his voice, since she could easily hear the werewolf beside her, even when he lost control of his mind. Thanks to her blood, the man was slowly becoming a true wolf who could shift into a human.

Not that he was aware of what Lily had done for him.

Kiba, still in pain over the loss of his pack which had gone into sleep in different parts of the British Isles, had approached her. She had taken one look, and to the shock of the werewolf beside her, had allowed him to get a good whiff of her daughter's scent. That way he could find her anywhere she was.

And now, the little Flower Maiden was gone, taken over the water to a house he had yet to find.

Every full moon, he would throw his spirit out into the world to locate the girl. He had already found two of his pack, though he was unable to wake them without the song of the moon.

He was almost about to give up hope...when he heard the voice singing. It was far away in the distance, but the long miles were no matter when one was in spirit form.

It was the voice of a small child, lost and alone in the dark cold woods. Her voice didn't waver as the Hunter's Moon glowed pale in the sky. She was dancing barefoot in the cold night. Her pale form practically glowed under the bright moon.

He sat there, watching her nimble feet dance in the trees. She looked so frail and weak. Even under the moonlight, he could see clear bruises and ribs.

But what really angered him was this.

While it was obvious the child in front of him was the pup that had gone missing after the attack, it was blatantly clear that whoever she was living with wasn't taking care of her. At all.

And since she was the last chance they had to reach Paradise, he was beyond pissed.

He was positively murderous in his rage.

Once the sun rose that day, Kiba woke up for the first time in years.

Ever since the attack on the house, he had been in a hibernating slumber. The only one who was even still awake was Blue, and that because she was only half wolf.

She was currently living with Remus, the werewolf that Lily had trusted around her daughter.

* * *

><p>Artemis Selena Potter looked up from where she was sitting on the swing. Her cousin, Dudley, would be around to push her off into the dirt again soon, so she was prepared to jump off the second he came near her.<p>

None of the teachers even bothered to chastise him anymore, once Petunia and Vernon had made it clear that they could care less how their precious Dudley treated his cousin. And after she came to the school with a larger than normal bruise...

The teachers quickly learned that if they kept their mouths shut about the abuse, the girl would come to school with less injuries. Particularly after three of their own had complained to three separate agencies who could have done something to protect her, and had gone missing without a trace within a week of the report. Each of them had found that the previous report had also gone missing, which spoke volumes about the fact that someone was _deliberately_ leaving a child in an abusive home.

And that didn't sit well with any of them.

Selena (she rarely went by her first name) was the one to spot the beautiful white wolf staring at her. So when she vanished during lunch, none of the teachers raised the alarm.

They had seen her head into the densely wooded area and had assumed that her uncle was on the warpath again. They weren't going to force her to return to a home where she could get killed.

Some of the teachers had even taken to giving her sandwiches whenever Dudley wasn't looking. It was such a small thing, but the look in her eyes whenever they gave her one spoke volumes.

Kiba wasn't surprised that the girl walked up to him without fear. Her emerald eyes were darkened with pain. It was even more obvious than before that she was in a house that didn't want her around.

He lay down, and the girl immediately fell sound asleep against his side. She knew without knowing why that she had nothing to fear from the wolf. Even one that was big enough to carry her on its back.

When she woke up, she took one look into the golden eyes of the wolf, and fell completely in love with it. For reasons only her mother would have known why, Selena absolutely _loved_ all things Wiccan.

Once, when she was three, she overheard her aunt say the word 'witch' to her uncle in a tone of fear. The naturally impressionable three year old had waited until she was in a school full of books, and had asked the librarian for anything related to witches.

She had been directed by the kindly old woman to the religion section, having misheard the girl, and had since been hooked on the Wiccan religion which heavily focused on the moon and nature.

Wolves also tended to pop up in Wiccan lore often enough that her love of it had grown rather large. Which was why she tried to get locked out of the house as often as she could on full moon nights so that she could dance.

So it was with some surprise to her that when the wolf barked, she could hear words.

Almost like it could speak to her directly to her mind.

"_You have no idea how hard it was to find you, little flower."_

"Who are you?"

"_My name is Kiba. Your mother could speak to wolves too, so don't be alarmed. Though she usually talked to me through her mind so as not to alarm her husband."_

"Talk...through her mind?"

_Can I do that?_

_'Yes, you can. Though you'll have to work on the fact that your eyes glaze over while we talk.'_

Selena grinned at him. She finally had a friend! One that even her annoying cousin couldn't chase away! Kiba gave a wolfy chuff, which she quickly realized was his version of a laugh.

_'That tub of lard had better watch his step, because I'm not going anywhere.'_

_Can you take me far away from them?_

_'I can't. If I tried, someone would just find us and hunt me down. What I can do is insure that they never harm you again.'_

_That'll work._

* * *

><p>It was with great shock that the teachers found Selena Potter come to school a month later with a terrified Dudley Dursley. While he no longer hunted her down to beat her up, her aunt and uncle no longer wanted anything to do with her.<p>

She no longer came into school with bruises and broken bones.

Of course she did spend a rather large amount of time inside the woods with books beside her. Though very few of the teachers spoke of the white shadow that followed the girl. It was positively wolf like in form.

On the plus side, they no longer worried about the abuse the girl suffered from her guardians. She had clearly gained a guardian angel in the wolf that always watched her at school.

On the downside, the fact that the poor girl wasn't normal had become abundantly clear. It had been hidden for the longest time because of the abuse, but now it had started to surface. Still, no one did anything because it was painfully clear her guardian angel would react to anything that harmed her.

Which was why no one commented on the fact that she spent large amounts of time at the library reading books far too advanced for someone barely ten.

Then she turned eleven, and a whole new world opened up for her. One that would eventually draw her into a civil war on the brink of destroying Europe.

* * *

><p>Selena looked up when she saw the owl. Kiba was still sleeping in the bushes, where only she could see him. Though she did wonder why her aunt never once glanced nervously towards the tail that Kiba kept twitching outside the bushes.<p>

When asked, Kiba chuffed in a wolfy chuckle (she had become a master of speaking wolf without hearing words) that he had gained a bit of magical power from living around her mother for nearly two years. The ward around her aunt's house only made it stronger.

He didn't know what would happen if he went anywhere near someplace heavily magicked, but he wasn't too eager to find out.

Selena waited until she was halfway to the library before she relieved the letter from the owl. And when she finished reading it she headed straight to the woods.

It was well known that there was a witch in the woods, and that she had a wolf for a familiar. It didn't help that Selena tended to sing rather...loudly whenever the moon was full.

_Kiba, what do you think of this letter?_

_'I think it's real. The werewolf that used to visit your mother was one of the magical variety. Though I'm fairly sure the blood she used to slip into the food she gave him is wearing off.'_

_Blood?_

_'Remus Lupin is one of the magical werewolves, and their transformation is rather...painful. He used to accept my presence whenever the moon was full, and I usually kept him from harming himself. Your mother used to use some of her blood to ease the transition. It worked, mostly because she happened to be the daughter of the Lunar Maiden.'_

_Lunar Maiden?_

_'It was what your grandmother on your mother's side was. A few decades ago, a rift in time had been ripped open, and we fell through. Chesa was the only connection to the Lunar Flowers that used to grow in our time, and when she nearly died the rift opened. Most of the pack went into a deep sleep, and I woke up after Lily had you. Blue should be awake too, if she hasn't decided to sleep until the others are awakened.'_

_How many others are there?_

_'There's me, Tsume, Hige, Toboe and Blue. We were some of the last free wolves alive before the rift.'_

_What were they like?_

_'I never said they were dead. They're just asleep until someone can wake them up.'_

* * *

><p>A few days later someone knocked on the door, and the face looked vaguely familiar.<p>

He had lanky black hair that appeared like it fought shampoo and conditioner daily to and usually won. He didn't appear too happy to be there either.

"Selena Potter?" he asked.

Selena looked at him and said "That would be me. Who sir, if I may ask, are you?"

"Severus Snape, potionsmaster of Hogwarts."

_Kiba, do you recognize this guy?_

_'Snape, also known as Talon by your mother. You can trust him to a point, but he still reeks to high heaven.'_

"If you're here about that magic school invitation, we may as well leave now. My aunt and uncle abhor the word magic, and always lock me in the cupboard if it's even mentioned," she informed him.

Snape frowned at that, but decided that not talking to Petunia wouldn't do any harm. It wasn't like he actually _enjoyed_ the company of Lily's...sister.

Though he always had serious doubts that the two were even related. Lily was a beautiful, bright woman with almost ruby red hair and emerald eyes.

Petunia was a straw haired woman with squinty eyes and a negative disposition. She also resembled a horse in all of the worst ways.

Lily and Petunia looked nothing alike, nor did they even seem alike when compared. More than a few times, when Lily brought out a picture of her sister, people would think she was joking or that she was adopted.

It wasn't until she produced a picture of her mother that people even believed her at all.

Chelsea Evans was a rather unusual woman, with beautiful green eyes and light red hair. It was obvious to anyone that Lily took after the mother and not the father.

The only time Snape reacted to the girl-who-lived was when she whistled, and a white wolf appeared. It was a little too familiar to him.

Finally, Snape spoke a word he hadn't said in ten years.

"Kiba."

The wolf barked, then did something to surprise them both.

"Hello Talon," said the man that now stood before them.

Selena blinked, then accepted it with grace. She always knew Kiba was unusually intelligent for a wolf.

"I thought you had died. You disappeared after..."

"I went into hiding. It took me a while to find her, and I will not allow her to come to harm."

Snape knew it all to well. Twice, when Lily was in danger of a Death Eater's curse, the white wolf had appeared without warning and taken out the threat. It had taken some doing on Lily's part to even be allowed in the home with Kiba around.

Kiba was intensely loyal to Lily, for reasons he never fully understood. But both had come to an agreement on protecting the girls.

Which was the _only_ reason when he returned to the castle that he would keep his mouth shut about Kiba being with the girl. Albus had not made the best impression on the wolf, who had distrusted the man ever since Kiba had broken through the wards that Albus had set up personally.

Some of those wards had been keyed to Kiba specifically.

Too bad Kiba wasn't a normal wolf, and that the bond between him and Lily was stronger than even Dumbledore had considered.

(Though Snape would never admit it, he found the fact that the barmy old goat had been one upped by a wolf hilarious.)

* * *

><p>Kiba looked around the magical alley with some disdain. He wasn't that fond of crowded human areas.<p>

To be honest, neither were his companions.

"Remind me again why we have to come down this particular alley?" asked Selena, trying not to whine.

She didn't like whining, unless the situation called for it. Like when life had been particularly horrible for several days straight.

Snape winced a bit when the volume level grew. There was no chance in hell he was going to call her by her first name in the alley, the noise level would only shoot up if he did.

"Because the only way to access your parents vault is here. The goblins might have you do a blood test, and it would be quicker to get it directly rather than through a branch."

"I think the vault Lily set up for me is still active too," said Kiba unexpectedly.

The two stopped, and looked at him.

"What? James liked me well enough, especially when he realized that I would do anything to protect his family, even if I didn't particularly get along that well with his friends. He just made it easier for me to blend in without causing a fuss, and the old man couldn't do a thing about the vault that wasn't under the Potter name," shrugged Kiba.

Upon leaving the bank, they learned something rather...disconcerting.

James apparently had taken it to heart that Kiba would protect his family, and had set a safeguard should anyone take money from the Potter family vaults while not in the presence of either James or Selena.

The only thing left in the Potter name was the trust vault, which even Dumbledore couldn't access. The rest had been mysteriously changed to be under Kiba's name.

The goblins could care less about the change in vaults, because it was an ingenious joke played on the headmaster. It often caused them to cackle whenever the old man tried (and failed after the first few withdrawels) to steal from the goblins.

What made it hilarious was that the prank had been played by a dead man. No doubt the last two Marauders would enjoy the joke as well.

If they ever heard of it.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape was not what one would call a pleasant man. Yet here he was enjoying <em>shopping<em> of all things with the child of James Potter and the wolf spirit that always protected Lily.

It was simple why really. Selena Potter was more like her mother than her father, and always asked intelligent questions few witches her age would even consider. And if her religion was anything to go by, she would be a natural potionsmaster.

Wiccans as a rule tended to be very, very good at brewing potions. And if he had his way, then all the children would learn from a Wiccan Witch.

He couldn't wait to see the look on the old cat's face when he told her that not only did he take the Potter brat shopping, but he actually enjoyed the experience.

Mostly because they got to tease Kiba relentlessly for having to wear a bubble head charm around his head before he could even _enter_ the Apothecary.

Kiba took protecting Selena Potter very seriously.


	2. Chapter 2

Selena fingered her wand, which was unusual in itself. Snape originally was going to take her to Ollivanders, but had gotten vetoed by Kiba right off the bat.

("The man uses tracers on the damn things. Besides, I wouldn't put it past the old man to find a way to manipulate the magic through her wand."

Snape looked at him, then remembered who they were dealing with. Dumbledore could very well have commissioned a wand that he could manipulate, and no one would comment on it because of who it was for.

"Right. Good thing I know another one in Knockturn then," he answered.)

She had left the rather dark shop with a wand of Moonbeam, a very rare wood in itself, with werewolf fur and the crushed petals of a flower that was so rare that any potionsmaker worth his salt would sell three of their children for it.

It was called the Lunar Flower. It was Kiba who confirmed the authenticity of the petals. He remembered the scent all too well.

Ever since she returned from what the two called shopping hell, she had felt the world around her closing in.

The only thing she had even picked out of the entire trip that even Kiba liked was the owl. It was pure white with flecks of gray, and it reminded her of Kiba.

She named it Yuki.

She spent the rest of the time she had reading her books. She didn't feel like messing with Wizard Magic (as she called it) until she was absolutely sure that she could get away with it. Even though Snape had assured her that the shop didn't add any tracers to her wand (they had paid extra to keep them from being added) she didn't want to chance it.

To her relief, Kiba had told her he would be at the castle.

He had passed it once when he was looking for her, and knew exactly where it was.

* * *

><p>Selena read her book while the other children struggled to get their own compartment. Kiba, once he had helped her load the trunk, had gone ahead. Mostly because the racket that would come gave him such a headache that he would be unable to keep up the transformation.<p>

Snape had assured him that no one would bother her on the train. At least not until she had been sorted.

And since she had gotten an illusion charm from the man that would cover up her scar, she was practically anonymous.

At least he had explained where she got the crescent shaped scar on her forehead. It was in the shape of a perfect crescent moon. She rather liked it, though the staring she had gotten in the alley had annoyed her to no end.

About a third of the way there, a red haired boy popped in.

"Do you mind? Everywhere else is full," he said in a rather cocky manner.

She looked at him with annoyance.

"I could care less if you sat here, but I hope you weren't expecting any conversation. I am currently in the middle of a fascinating book," she answered.

The boy actually scowled, and went to another compartment. Apparently he had been hoping for a different answer.

Ten minutes later a girl walked in, asking about a toad that had gone missing.

"Haven't seen any toads. Perhaps the older students would know a charm to summon him?"

She beamed at her, and after getting the errant toad, returned with the owner. A rather nervous boy named Neville.

The girl held out her hand in greeting.

"Hermione Granger."

"Selena. I prefer not to have my full name known, since the last thing I want is fake friends."

Hermione apparently knew exactly what she was talking about, because neither of them asked for her last name. Neville was a budding green mage, because he knew a lot about plants.

Selena found that she rather enjoyed their company, if only because of the intelligent conversation. Hermione found the fact that she was a Wiccan witch fascinating, and kept asking questions about it. Neville kept up his end by asking about her gardening experience, and ended up getting a few tips even he had never considered.

After buying several sweets, and finding that she had a definite love for chocolate (she would never dare give any to Kiba, because chocolate was highly poisonous to canines) she inadvertently learned about the myth surrounding her name.

"Who is Artemis Potter?" she asked innocently.

"Artemis Potter is the girl-who-lived. She defeated You-know-who on Halloween night, nearly ten years ago. They say she has a crescent moon scar where the curse hit," said Neville.

"Did this...You-know-who...have followers? Lackeys who would most likely be angry over his death?" she asked.

Hermione nodded.

"They called themselves Death Eaters. They used to send up a mark whenever they hit a house, a mark of a skull with a snake for a tongue."

"Then why in the name of Hecate did they announce what her scar looked like? Wouldn't that be painting a massive target over the girl?" asked Selena innocently.

Hermione and Neville gaped at her, with their mouths opening and closing. Finally, Hermione admitted that Selena had a valid point.

A half hour after the trolley came by, the door opened again. A platinum blond boy took one look at Selena and said "So my uncle was telling the truth when he said you knew the illusion charm."

She gave him a look, and he shrugged.

"My uncle Severus spoke highly of you."

"And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"Selena. You aren't like that lying red head from earlier are you?"

Draco made a face.

"If you're referring to a gangly red head with too many freckles, than I can assure you I am nothing like Ronald Weasly."

"Then you can come in."

Neville, the only person who had any idea who Draco was, seemed a bit surprised to that the boy spoke civilly to them. Particularly when Hermione revealed she was a muggleborn witch.

"So was my uncle having me on when he mentioned that you have a wolf as your magical guardian?"

"Magical Guardian? Kiba is just my protector at the moment. He told me to behave while I was on the train and not cause any trouble he couldn't get me out of later."

Draco shook his head in disbelief.

For the rest of the trip the four talked civilly, never once mentioning the girl-who-lived. Selena found the atmosphere refreshing, since her companions were not only as intelligent as she was, but could care less that she was currently under an illusion.

Though only Hermione had figured out why she was under one. Draco simply could care less, since his godfather had mentioned that Selena Potter was most definitely not going to be the Gryffindor Golden girl.

Selena and Hermione changed in the bathroom and returned to their compartment...only it had one more person in it than before.

The red head (now identified as Ron Weasly, youngest son of the Weasly brood) had returned. And he was in a shouting match with Draco.

It didn't take much guessing to see what had set it off. Ron was under the mistaken impression that he was going to be Artemis Potter's best friend. Draco was actually defending the fact that no one had seen the girl-who-lived on the train all day, and that if he was so sure of himself then why wasn't he sitting with her at that moment trying to make himself look good.

Ron huffed up, saying he had looked all up and down the train had yet to catch a hint of the by now famous scar.

Then he looked at the girls, and sneered. He had already gotten on the wrong foot with the girls, because he disliked bookworms. They tended to drag you to the library and force you to read more books than just the ones needed for homework.

Selena walked right up to the annoying boy, and drew up to her full four foot three height.

"My name is Selena, and if you don't leave right now I'll hurt you, severely."

"And why should I listen to some know it all?" he asked in return.

She drew up her right fist, and broke his nose. Draco crowed in approval.

"Because I know how to throw a real right hook, and I'm not afraid to use it," she answered, smirking.

Ron ran away promptly, not wanting to get a black eye along with the broken nose.

Once they sat down, Draco made his approval known.

"I don't know where he got the idea that he could gain any friends from being a pompous arse. Pardon my language."

Selena giggled evilly, "Oh, don't worry about course language in front of me. My uncle used to use words stronger about me when he was in a drunken mood."

They all stared at her.

"Why?" Neville finally dared to ask.

"My...guardians...were forced to take me in when my parents died. They didn't want anything magical near them, so they took it out on me until Kiba showed up and got them to back off. Sometimes when my idiot uncle got drunk, he would take a swing at me or toss me into the cupboard under the stairs. I made a point to get kicked out of the house on those nights."

They looked at her in disbelief.

She shrugged.

"Kiba got them to stop, so they leave me alone. Personally, if I can find anyone that knew my parents to take me in, I would leave that house in a heartbeat. I don't care what the headmaster says about it, I would rather live with a werewolf than those...things."

When they realized she wasn't joking in the least, they quickly changed the topic to the classes.

Surprisingly enough, Draco had the most to say about them.

"Potions is widely regarded as the most unpleasant class unless you're a Slytherin. My godfather is the one who teaches it. Transfiguration has the most uptight teacher, but she can also turn into a tabby cat. Charms is the most fun, and is run by a half goblin by the name of Flitwick. Herbology is the most hands on, seconded only Care Of Magical Creatures."

Neville perked up at the mention of Herbology.

"What are the houses like?" asked Hermione.

"Gryffindor is for those who act first and think about the consequences later. Ravenclaw is for those who actually _value_ their grade point average and they have their own personal library from what I've heard. Hufflepuff has the highest number of Muggleborns, but they also tend to make better green wizards and healers than the rest. Slytherin has the highest number of pure bloods, and has a reputation for turning out the most Dark oriented wizards."

"Why would being in a certain house make you dark?" asked Selena.

Draco shrugged.

"Personally I believe it's because of the animosity against Slytherin that causes them to go Dark. About the only people who like Slytherins _are_ Slytherins."

Hermione seemed to take that to heart.

"So, judging by how we've talked, what house would we go into?" asked Selena out of curiosity.

Draco pointed to each of them.

To Hermione, he said "Either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Considering your love of books, most likely Ravenclaw."

To Neville, he said "Hufflepuff. You give off more of a Healer feel than an Auror, no offense."

To Selena, he quirked an eyebrow and said "Any house _but_ Gryffindor. You don't strike me to be that foolhardy or tactless."

"And you?" asked Hermione.

"Slytherin or Ravenclaw, but with my connections and personality it will most likely be Slytherin."

"Any idea how we'll be sorted?" asked Hermione.

Draco grinned.

"Mother and Father refused to tell me, but both of them warned me to charm my ears before being sorted. Apparently whoever does it is completely tone deaf."

"They place a hat on us which looks through our memories and puts us in whatever house suits our personality and quirks best," said Selena suddenly.

Once again, they stared at her. She held up an old book in amusement.

"This happens to have the first sorting ever done at the school, and mentioned that Godric Gryffindor left his old hat behind to do the job for them once they were gone."

"...Mind if I borrow it when you're done?" asked Hermione finally.

Selena handed it to her, and the girl was soon lost to the written word. Draco snorted.

"I stand corrected. _Definitely_ Ravenclaw."

Selena noted they were almost there, and made a suggestion.

"How about no matter what house we end up in, we agree to meet up once a week for a study group?"

Hermione looked up from her book. It was a sound suggestion.

"I'm in."

"Sounds interesting," said Draco.

"I could probably use all the help I can get..." mumbled Neville.

* * *

><p>Selena was decidedly <em>not<em> impressed by the ghosts. Neville at least, had managed to keep a hold of his toad when Selena gave him a small box for it to claim as it's own. It had fallen straight asleep.

Soon enough, they entered the great hall. She listened to the others being sorted without real interest, unless it was from her friends.

Draco had been spot on when he said what house they would end up in. Hermione got thrown into Ravenclaw, her nose in a book almost the entire time. Neville, to his shock, was sorted into Hufflepuff, and was greeted with claps on the back. Draco had been sent straight to Slytherin, not that it surprised him.

And then it was her turn. Though she wasn't too happy when McGonagall called her by her first name instead of her middle one. As much as she liked the goddess Artemis, she found the name to be a bit too boyish for her taste.

Before she sat down, she looked at everyone and announced quite clearly "My name is Selena. If you try to speak to me by my first name, I shall not answer at all."

And promptly put the hat on her head.

_**My, my, you're not suited to Gryffindor at all! You are as bookish as any Ravenclaw, but as loyal as Hufflepuff herself could have wanted.**_

_Could we please get this over with?_

_**Very well. With your pack mentality, the only place you could possibly be suited to is...**_

Everyone was leaning in their chair waiting for the announcement. So when the hat declared _"HUFFLEPUFF!" _everyone was very taken aback.

Selena beamed at the hat, and sat next to Neville. Dumbledore looked rather disappointed.

A Hufflepuff savior wasn't as impressive as a Gryffindor or even a Ravenclaw one. It was the opinion of almost everyone who wasn't a Puff that the house was full of the leftovers.

Probably why Pomona Sprout held a thinly veiled disdain for the other heads of house and the headmaster. It had been nearly two hundred years since Hufflepuff even came close to winning the house cup, and fifty since they had won the Quidditch Cup. A fact Severus was rather quick to point out whenever Sprout tried to mention one of her badgers achievements.

Which was why Sprout was the second highest in points deducted from Slytherin house. If she saw an opportunity to take them, she took it. The point deductions were solely dependent on how much Snape had angered her that week, or whether one of them had annoyed her that day.

So having the girl-who-lived in her house would improve her mood a good deal.

* * *

><p>"How did you end up in our house? No offense, but everyone thought you would at least be a lion or a raven," asked Cedric.<p>

She grinned at him.

"The hat dismissed my...chance for Gryffindor right off. Said I could have fit in with Ravenclaw but when he figured in my pack mentality around my friends, he put me here instead. I could care less so long as I'm no where near that bloody red haired moron."

"So which name should we call you by to avoid being hexed?" asked Susan with a grin.

"Selena. While I admire Artemis as the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, I find that the name sounds a little too boyish for my taste."

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff house, Selena Potter," said Cedric, mock bowing.

"Just out of curiosity, does anyone in this house have a problem with wolves?" she asked out of the blue.

Every shook their head. Hufflepuffs took house loyalty far more seriously than even the Slytherins.

"Oh good. Because I happen to have a wolf guardian outside and he's not that big a fan of the cold winters here," she chirped.

"Wolf guardian?" asked Susan.

"Perhaps it would be easier to explain tomorrow, when we're allowed outside..." said Selena.

Aside from the rather asinine warnings and off key song, Selena actually enjoyed the feast.

(Kiba had already told her that Snape had brought him out a large roast turkey, so he was set for the night. Plus the man had also given him the directions to the kitchen where he could nick food from the house elves.)

* * *

><p>Selena woke up early, as the dawn hit her right in the eyes. Hufflepuff Tower was right next to the kitchens, and had the shortest route to the outside and the great hall.<p>

Neville was up as well, and his yawn made it clear that he only got up under protest.

"Morning Nev," she said cheerfully. It was rather...nice to have kids her own age to talk to. Everyone else was either afraid of Dudley or thought she was weird because she happened to be an actual Wiccan.

It didn't take long for the older students to wake up, and by then the two had already gone down to the great hall for breakfast. Fortunately Cedric had seen them leave and had given them directions.


	3. Chapter 3

Selena looked at her schedule with amusement. It seemed their head of house was easier on the first years than the others, because all of their classes on their first day were rather easy to find.

Herbology, Potions and Charms.

Everyone had been told that the Charms corridor was on the same floor as the library. Which made it rather easy to find, as all one had to do was follow a Ravenclaw to the library.

* * *

><p>Once she walked to the greenhouses with Neville, who apparently had figured out that she wouldn't let anyone bully him, they waited for the other students to arrive.<p>

Neville spent the time looking over the plants, and the two cheerfully debated what type of fertilizer the teacher had used, to the woman's amusement.

She immediately pegged them for the Advanced classes for third year, as well as marked them for the extra work she sometimes assigned her Puffs.

She was rather pleased that she had gotten the girl-who-lived. Though she found the reasoning for it rather odd, until the girl mentioned that the wolf she had noticed on the borders of the forest had come with her.

* * *

><p>Snape walked into his first class of the year, and was pleased when he saw Selena next to the Longbottom heir. From the rumors he had heard, the boy would be next to useless in potions and would be an Herbology prodigy.<p>

Green mages were experts in the field of plants, but couldn't make a potion worth a damn.

Those that practice the Wicca religion however, were experts in both plants and potions...the downside was that they had difficulty in Arithimancy and Divination.

Once he had the initial speech over with, he had them get to work on a simple boils solution.

Selena had clearly read ahead, because she was explaining to Neville in a clear voice what each ingredient did and what would happen when added at the wrong time. She even kept the boy from adding his quills in at the wrong time, thus preventing an explosion.

At the end of the lesson, they put their potions in a vial and put them on his desk. But Snape couldn't help his parting shot at the girl.

"Thirty points to Hufflepuff for preventing an explosion."

Seeing the shocked looks on the students faces made the entire thing worth it. Selena beamed at him, as she thought the trick was rather amusing too.

* * *

><p>Charms was interesting, especially after Flitwick had called her name and promptly fell off the books he was standing on. Fortunately he had taken to heart what she had said before being sorted, because he called her Selena Potter and not Artemis...like practically every other teacher had except Snape and Sprout. Most of the lesson was going over exactly <em>what<em> Charms class was about, and it was over fairly quickly.

* * *

><p>After that, Selena went down to the lake with Neville and Cedric. He was the official spokesperson of the Hufflepuff house, and Professor Sprout left it up to him to see whether the wolf she had seen was a threat or not.<p>

Kiba was by the lake, snoring away.

So it was with no little amount of amusement that Cedric taught Selena the water charm. Kiba jumped up in a flash once the girl doused him with water from the lake.

"_You little brat. I should bite you for that trick!"_

_But you won't because I was just playing a little prank on you. Come meet my housemates._

"_Who's who?"_

_The little one with the nervous aura is Neville, and the older one is Cedric. Professor Sprout sent him to make sure you wouldn't harm the students._

Kiba allowed Cedric to pet him, though it was clear he was only comfortable with Selena doing it. Even though nervous Neville sat down, Kiba made no move to chase him. Cedric grinned at the girl.

"Well, I see no reason why he can't stay here, though you'll have to warn us if you want to bring him inside the castle during the winter. So long as he doesn't bite the students I doubt the teachers will care."

"Snape didn't mind when I brought him along shopping for school supplies. He seems to be a family familiar that belonged to my mother's side."

"Familiar is putting it mildly. I was your grandmother's protector, and I only went to sleep because your mother died and I couldn't find you."

Cedric looked at him sharply.

"Exactly _how_ old are you wolf?"

"Age has never been a relevant factor for my kind. Once we hit maturity and pick a human form, time just...stops for us. But if you must know I'm physically around eighteen to nineteen in human years. And just to let you know, I have never shared a room with Selena alone. I'm not an idiot."

The glare Cedric gave the wolf dropped. He protected the first years from predators in the school.

It was rather refreshing to find out that Selena had a protector all her own that at least acknowledged the acceptable human rules. Particularly when it came to boundaries.

* * *

><p>After the discussion, it wasn't unusual to find Kiba curled up next to the fireplace snoring loudly. Of course Selena was the only one who dared to wake him up.<p>

Usually by having the house elves bring her a bucket of ice water to dump on him.

Fortunately Kiba took the water with good grace, provided no one commented on him stealing the prefects private bathroom when everyone was in class.

(Cedric, who was in line to become the next Hufflepuff Prefect, was given the password and he passed it on to Kiba. As far as anyone knew, Kiba was a sixth year Hufflepuff.)

It wasn't until Selena met the twins that Kiba regretted going to Hogwarts.

Fred and George Weasly were menaces. Unlike their foolish brother Ron, they recognized Selena on sight and made it their life's mission to prank the school with her help. Help she was all too willing to give in exchange for pranks that she could use on Ron.

Luckily for Kiba, the twins knew better than to antagonize a wolf who could and would sneak into their tower and steal their sheets in the middle of the cold night while leaving the window wide open.

(It had happened once, and the twins had sworn to _never_ let it happen again.)

* * *

><p>The days passed by peacefully...if one didn't count the surprisingly large amount of people giving Selena the darkest of all looks.<p>

It wasn't until Cedric had noted the large amount of dark looks aimed at her that he finally asked the question her whole house wanted to know.

"Why is everyone in Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin giving you the look of doom?"

Selena looked him right in the eye and said bluntly "Because they have the worst poker faces I have ever seen."

It took Cedric a good ten seconds to realize what she was getting at.

"You...beat that many people at poker. Where and how?"

She had Kiba hand her a large scroll of paper. On it was a large list of names...and it was under the most binding magical contract Cedric had ever seen.

"Where did you get this?"

"You think this is the first school I've fleeced of their parent's cash? I had to earn my lunch money somehow, and poker was the most legal way to do it!"

"How bad is it?" asked one of the other prefects.

Kiba shifted, which by this time wasn't as surprising as it was originally, and stated flatly "I never allow her anywhere near the muggleborns...just the idiots who think they're better than everyone else because they're inbred morons. No offense Neville."

"None taken."

Neville had definitely taken a shine to Kiba, who was not only friendly to the boy, he was rather kind. Kiba had a thing for young children. Particularly when they had little to no self confidence to speak of.

Fortunately, once children got over the fact that he was really a wolf pretending to be human, they actually liked him.

They just had to skew their vision of normality a little.

"...Exactly _how_ much money are we talking about here?" asked Susan Bones.

Selena had the most evil smirk as she did a quick figure in her head, and wrote it down for her. Susan's eyes widened comically.

"Is this real?"

Kiba looked, and said "I think you forgot three digits."

"Hmm...you could be right. Combined with what I won off of Flint, Nott and Chang, it should be about two to three thousand galleons higher."

Susan actually fainted from shock.

"Remind me never to play against you in poker," was all Cedric would say.

"I would never fleece my own housemates unless you deserve it," replied Selena tartly.

Her fellow housemates breathed a sigh of relief, particularly when someone read aloud how much she had fleeced the other houses in less than a month.

* * *

><p>Selena was rather looking forward to flying lessons. So was Neville, thanks to the fact that Kiba had promised to at least slow his fall.<p>

Neville found the fact that Kiba was going to be there rather pleasant, since the wolf clearly tolerated him more than he did others around his charge. The fact that he could definitely use magic only made his nerves go away.

It turned out to be a good thing Kiba was around, because halfway into the lesson, Neville broom acted up. If Kiba hadn't sent a whirlwind in his direction, he would have been in for a nasty fall.

Selena turned out to be a natural flyer, to her private surprise.

* * *

><p>"Explain to me again why I have to eat copious amounts of sweets today?" she asked Hermione.<p>

"It's Halloween. Traditionally children eat large amounts of sweets and caramel covered popcorn/apples and go Trick or treating," said Hermione.

Selena had rescued the girl after Ron claimed she had no friends. She was quick to retaliate and drag the girl far away from Ron.

Selena gave Hermione a look.

"Hermione, remember who you are talking to here. I do not practice Halloween. I have never once participated in this...trick or treating exercise," said Selena slowly.

Hermione thought about that, and realized her mistake.

"Christian and Catholics practice Halloween, and take children trick or treating to keep ghosts and other creatures of the night from bothering them?"

Selena nodded. Now she was talking her language.

Cedric grinned at Hermione.

"Forgot she was a Wiccan didn't you?"

Hermione nodded.

"Anyone else practice Samhain?"

"Mostly Slytherins, a few Ravenclaws and two Gryffindors. Selena is the only person who practices the old ways in Hufflepuff."

Hermione found that fact rather interesting.

Without warning, the one professor missing burst into the great hall, crying about some troll in the dungeon. He deliberately set the entire school in a state of panic.

Selena looked at Cedric and smirked.

"I told you."

Cedric grimaced.

"Alright, you proved your point," said Cedric annoyed.

"Wait, does this mean we won't be allowed outside?" asked Selena in concern.

"I'm sure once the grounds are secured they'll let you out before midnight," Cedric assured her.

"Chances are they'll have your wolf patrol the grounds just in case though. Talk about a sensitive nose!" grinned Susan.

Selena beamed at her. Kiba did indeed have a powerful nose, as he generally used it to warn the girls privately when their time of the month was about to start.

To the annoyance of the other houses, ever since Kiba showed up none of the Hufflepuff girls was ever taken by surprise by nature's bad joke. Plus it helped to warn them to stock up on cramp potions.

Thankfully none of the girls ever took offense to the heads up. Kiba just told them in a blunt, but highly refreshing manner.

It took two hours to get rid of the troll, and another hour after that before any of the students were allowed to leave the castle walls for the old rituals.

Rituals Dumbledore wanted very badly to be banned.

Fortunately, such things fell under Hogwarts religious tolerance rules, and there was nothing the old man could do to change them. To each their own, as it were.

* * *

><p>Selena nodded to Daphne, who was one of the few female practitioners left. The other was a rather snooty Ravenclaw who Selena did not like. At all.<p>

Much to the shock of the others, Selena came out with nothing but a thin shift on.

She walked out to the water, and began to dance under the moonlight. Only Daphne remained nearby. It wasn't until Selena began to sing that the girl realized something big was going on.

Selena was literally dancing on the water. She could see the girl's emerald eyes, and there was something odd about them. It took Daphne a moment to realize what was different.

Where the white of her eyes once were was now a pale teal color that complimented the emerald of her iris quite nicely. Her black hair seemed to shine until it was a gorgeous ebony/raven color.

Daphne realized with a start that even though she practiced the old ways, Selena Potter lived them.

Which made her a far more powerful witch than even she had believed.

This fact was only proven when Kiba appeared out of nowhere from the forest, and began to circle her as she danced. His snow white fur began to glow like liquid silver.

* * *

><p>Selena looked up from her book when she realized someone was there. It was Daphne Greengrass from Slytherin.<p>

"Yes?"

"Um...Selena, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can you teach me about the Olde Ways?" she finally got out.

"Huh?"

"My mother has been trying to teach me about the olde ways for years, but nothing ever stuck. But the way you danced on Samhain... It truly looked like the Goddess herself had come down."

Selena looked at Daphne, hard. It must have been difficult for someone from Slytherin to ask a Hufflepuff for help.

She grinned. This might actually work to her benefit later.

"I'll show you. First, why don't you start by telling me how much you know about the Goddess, and we'll work from there?"

Daphne beamed at her, relieved. The worst she could have done was said no.

* * *

><p>Remus looked up from his breakfast to see Yuki land neatly on the table. She was eying the bacon, which he handed over with a grin. As he read the letter, he went to get a pen and paper.<p>

Kiba had told his pup all about him, and his curse. A curse which had been coming back with a vengeance since Lily died.

He didn't know _what_ she had slipped in his food every time he ate at their house, but it seemed to have a calming effect on Moony. It had almost tasted like flower petals...and blood.

If there was one thing Remus was absolutely sure of, it was that Lily wasn't human. Not that James cared.

He actually couldn't wait for her to come. As long as Kiba was around, Moony would behave. Plus there was the fact that his werewolf side always acted like a normal wolf around Lily. Once, when they had forgotten about the time of month, they had Remus babysit. Kiba had lain next to the fire with Selena against him, sleeping like a rock.

Remus had considered leaving Peter to watch her, but the growl that Kiba had let off threatened violence if he did.

The next morning, James had apologized profusely for forgetting what phase of the moon it was. They had returned to the house to find Moony sound asleep beside Kiba, and Selena had no bites of any kind.

Only Lily knew why, and she never explained it to James. At least, not before they were killed.

He sent the letter back, telling her that he would be at the train station waiting for her and Kiba.

* * *

><p>In the few months that the wolf had been at the school, he had gained the trust of the teachers not to harm the students. Though that was mostly because the centaurs vouched for him after he had rescued a wounded unicorn.<p>

It was rather hard to dispute that kind of endorsement.


End file.
